One of the great virtues (and pitfalls) of raw recipes is that you can sample them at any stage in the process. The challenge with this one is having any ganache left to actually make the truffles. (I could rename this “Shovel-It-Straight-Into-Your-Gob Fudge.”) I made a batch of this with my friend Karen, who confessed midway through blending that she isn’t really a fan of chocolate. Horrified, I simply handed the blender to her. After one taste, she clutched the container with Gollum-like greed and exclaimed, “Oh … now that’s exciting!”.
Ingredients
Truffles
- ¼ cup (60 ml) coconut oil in liquid form
- ¼ cup (18 g) cacao powder, plus more to taste
- ¾ cup (180 g) raw cashew butter
- 0.33 cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 0.12 teaspoon natural salt
Coating
- Shredded unsweetened coconut
- Crushed shelled pistachios
- Crushed raw almonds
- Finely grated lime or orange zest
- Finely chopped dried lavender
- Crushed goji berries
- Mesquite powder
- Maqui powder
- Maca powder
- ½ cup (35 g) cacao powder mixed with 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon natural salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
How to Make It
- To make the truffles, put all of the ingredients into your blender in the order listed. Blend on low for a few seconds, then increase the speed to high (this will keep the cacao powder from flying all over the carriage and save you time scraping down the container) and blend for 30 to 60 seconds, until thick and combined. Tweak flavors to taste (you might like more cacao powder or cayenne). Scrape the mixture into a sealable container and freeze it for at least 2 hours to make it easier to roll. (The coconut oil in the mixture melts very quickly.)
- Using a teaspoon, scoop the truffle mixture into your hand and quickly roll it into a ball. (Don’t let it warm up or it’ll get gooey.) Roll the truffles in your desired coating(s) and then place them on a baking sheet or in a container lined with parchment paper. Chill the coated truffles in the fridge for at least 4 hours; remove just before serving.